Chicago River Day
33rd Annual Chicago River Day
May 10, 2025
9 a.m. - 12 p.m. ~ After Party from 12 - 3 p.m.
75+ sites across the Chicago-Calumet River system
Register below
Free and Family-Friendly
Sponsor Chicago River Day
River Day FAQs
Every year since 1992, Friends of the Chicago River partners with community leaders, municipalities, and landowners to host our largest volunteer stewardship day of the year, Chicago River Day. Volunteers build community and improve our rivers and public spaces by cleaning up harmful litter, mulching trails, and removing invasive plants. At this watershed-wide cleanup, thousands of community members, families, and companies work in and along the 156-mile Chicago-Calumet River system at over 75 locations throughout the city and suburbs. After the event, volunteers come together to swap stories and celebrate their hard work at after parties at Blue Island Beer Company and Burning Bush Brewery.
All are welcome to come by one of our three Community Hubs from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. to engage with Friends staff about our RIver Shallows Project, enjoy breakfast snacks and art or music activities. Community Hubs are at Canal Shores, Canal Origins Park, and Kickapoo Woods.
How to Register:
Every participant must register individually, as you are agreeing to the required waivers for the site as a part of registration. Registration is open until the site is full. Register by May 2, 2025 to help us understand the supply needs for each location and ensure we have enough of our famous T-shirts. Volunteers who register after May 2 need to show proof of registration (email confirmation or prinited ticket) the morning of the event and are not guaranteed a T-shirt, though we will do our best to make sure all volunteers receive one. We will do our best to accomodate walk-up volunteers, though space is limited, especially at on the water locations. Anyone under 18 requires a guardian to sign them up. For more information Check out Chicago River Day FAQs here. More sites will be added as they are confirmed.
How to Register:
- Use your mouse or the +/- buttons at the bottom of the map to zoom into the part of the watershed where you would like to volunteer.
OR Click on the arrow at the upper left of the map to see sites listed alphabetically. - Look for a green or blue pin. Green pins are for on land cleanups, blue pins are on the water, meaning you will be cleaning from canoe or kayak. Orange pins are sites where registration is full. Yellow pins are adopted by a group.
- Click on the pin and use the link within it to register for that Chicago River Day site.
Featured River Animal
Every year we feature a river animal to help us connect to the animals who rely on us to care for and protect this important river system. The 2025 featured animal is the spotted gar which prefer clear, quiet, vegetated waters. Spotted gar are primitive fish and date back to the Cretaceous Period, between 65 to 100 million years ago. This means that the ancestors of today’s spotted gar swam with dinosaurs! They are common in the lower portions of Illinois, but was only recently "rediscovered" in the Chicago River in 2014. The river’s health has rebounded significantly since 1979 when Friends started, making a more welcoming habitat for these beautiful fish.
Here are a few of the many fantastic stories about Chicago River Day 2024 in our local media:
WTTW - The Annual Chicago River Day Cleanup is Saturday
ABC - Thousands of volunteers participate in clean-up for 32nd Chicago River Day
Chicago Tribune - Tiny pieces of plastic pose one of the biggest threats to Chicago River wildlife and water quality
While there is much to celebrate about the river’s renaissance over the past 40 years, litter continues to be a persistent problem, especially in the form of plastics from food and product packaging. Chicago River Day is the flagship event for Friends’ Litter Free Chicago-Calumet River initiative which is dedicated to reducing and eliminating litter in and along our river system through public policy and on the ground action. Interested in helping clean up throughout the year? Check out other Litter Free opportunities here.
Friends of the Chicago River invites you to sponsor this cherished watershed-wide community cleanup. Your sponsorship support allows Chicago River Day to be free and accessible for everyone, ensuring all volunteers have the support and supplies for a successful cleanup.
